The structure of the armed forces of the USSR. What have the armies of the republics of the USSR turned into. This terrible word "Afghan"

Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR Armed Forces)- the military organization of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was intended to protect the Soviet people, freedom and independence of the Soviet Union.

Part Armed Forces USSR included: the central bodies of military control, the Strategic Missile Forces, the Ground Forces, Air Force, Troops air defense, the Navy, the Logistics of the Armed Forces, as well as the Civil Defense Troops, the Internal Troops and the Border Troops.

By the mid-1980s, the armed forces of the USSR were the largest in the world in terms of numbers.

Story

After graduation civil war The Red Army was demobilized and by the end of 1923 only about half a million people remained in it.

At the end of 1924, the Revolutionary Military Council adopted a 5-year plan for military development, approved by the III Congress of Soviets of the USSR six months later. It was decided to preserve the core of the army and train as many people as possible in military affairs at the lowest cost. As a result, in ten years, 3/4 of all divisions became territorial - recruits were in them at training camps for two to three months a year for five years (see the article territorial-militia unit).

But in 1934 - 1935, the military policy changed and 3/4 of all divisions became personnel. In the Ground Forces in 1939, compared with 1930, the number of artillery increased 7 times, including anti-tank and tank artillery - 70 times. Developed tank forces and Air Force. The number of tanks from 1934 to 1939 increased by 2.5 times, in 1939 compared to 1930 the total number of aircraft increased by 6.5 times. The construction of surface ships of various classes, submarines, and naval aviation aircraft began. In 1931, airborne troops appeared, which until 1946 were part of the Air Force.

On September 22, 1935, personal military ranks were introduced, and on May 7, 1940, general and admiral ranks. The command staff suffered heavy losses in 1937-1938 as a result of the Great Terror.

On September 1, 1939, the Law of the USSR "On General military service”, according to which all men fit for health reasons had to serve in the army for three years, in the navy - five years (according to the previous law of 1925, “disenfranchised” - disenfranchised “non-labor elements” - did not serve in the army, but were enrolled in the rear militia) By this time Armed Forces of the USSR were completely staffed, and their number increased to 2 million people.

Instead of separate tank and armor brigades, which since 1939 were the main formations of the armored forces, the formation of tank and mechanized divisions began. In the airborne troops, they began to form airborne corps, and in the Air Force, from 1940, they began to switch to a divisional organization.

For three years of the Great Patriotic War proportion of communists in Armed Forces doubled and by the end of 1944 amounted to 23 percent in the army and 31.5 percent in the navy. At the end of 1944 in Armed Forces there were 3,030,758 communists, which accounted for 52.6 percent of the total membership of the party. During the year, the network of primary party organizations expanded significantly: if on January 1, 1944 there were 67,089 of them in the army and navy, then on January 1, 1945 - already 78,640

By the end of the Great Patriotic War in 1945 Armed Forces of the USSR numbered more than 11 million people, after demobilization - about three million. Then their numbers increased again. But during the Khrushchev thaw, the USSR went to reduce the number of its Armed Forces: in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1,200 thousand people.

During the Cold War since 1955 Armed Forces of the USSR played a leading role in the military organization Warsaw Pact(ATS). Starting from the 1950s, missile weapons were introduced into the armed forces at an accelerated pace; in 1959, the Strategic Missile Forces were created. At the same time, the number of tanks increased. In terms of the number of tanks, the USSR came out on top in the world, by the 1980s in Soviet armed forces there were more tanks than all other countries combined. A large ocean-going navy was created. The most important direction in the development of the country's economy was the build-up of military potential, the arms race. It took a significant part of the national income.

In the period after the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Ministry of Defense was systematically entrusted with the task of providing civilian ministries labor force by forming military formations, units, military construction detachments for them, which were used as construction workers. The number of these formations increased from year to year.

In 1987-1991, during Perestroika, a policy of "defensive sufficiency" was proclaimed, and in December 1988, unilateral measures were announced to reduce Soviet armed forces. Their total number was reduced by 500 thousand people (12%). Soviet military contingents in Central Europe were unilaterally reduced by 50 thousand people, six tank divisions (about two thousand tanks) were withdrawn from the GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and disbanded. In the European part of the USSR, the number of tanks was reduced by 10 thousand, artillery systems - by 8.5 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. 75% of Soviet troops were withdrawn from Mongolia, and the number of troops in the Far East (opposing the PRC) was reduced for 120 thousand people.

Legal basis

Management

The highest state leadership in the field of defense of the country, on the basis of laws, was carried out by the highest bodies of state power and administration of the USSR, guided by the policy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), directing the work of the entire state apparatus in such a way that, when solving any issues of governing the country, the interests of strengthening its defense capability must be taken into account : - Council of Defense of the USSR (Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense of the RSFSR), Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Articles 73 and 108 of the Constitution of the USSR), Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Article 121 of the Constitution of the USSR), Council of Ministers of the USSR (Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR) ( article 131, Constitution of the USSR).

The USSR Defense Council coordinated the activities of the bodies of the Soviet state in the field of strengthening defense, approving the main directions for the development of the USSR Armed Forces. The USSR Defense Council was headed by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Supreme Commanders

• 1923-1924 - Sergei Sergeevich Kamenev,
• 1941-1953 - Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union,
• 1990-1991 - Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev;
• 1991-1993 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, Air Marshal.

Military authorities

Direct construction management USSR Armed Forces, their lives and combat activities were carried out by the Military Control Bodies (OVU).

The system of military control bodies of the USSR Armed Forces included:

The governing bodies of the SA and the Navy, united by the USSR Ministry of Defense (People's Commissariat of Defense, Ministry of the Armed Forces, War Department), headed by the Minister of Defense of the USSR;

Control authorities of the border troops, subordinate to the Committee state security the USSR, headed by the Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;

Control bodies of the internal troops, subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, headed by the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

According to the nature of the tasks performed and the scope of competence in the system of educational institutions, the following differed:

• Central OVU.
• Bodies of military command of military districts (groups of troops), fleets.
• Bodies of military command and control of military formations and units.
• local military authorities.
• Heads of garrisons (senior naval commanders) and military commandants.

Compound

• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) (from January 15 (28), 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) (from January 29 (11) February 1918 - to February 1946)
• Workers 'and Peasants' Red Air Fleet (RKKVF)
• Border Troops (Border Guard, Border Guard, Coast Guard)
• Internal Troops (Troops of the Internal Guard of the Republic and the State Escort Guard)

• Soviet Army (SA) (from February 25, 1946 to the beginning of 1992), the official name of the main part of the USSR Armed Forces. Included Strategic Missile Forces, SV, Air Defense Forces, Air Force and other formations
• Navy of the USSR (February 25, 1946 to early 1992)

population

Structure

• On September 1, 1939, the USSR Armed Forces consisted of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, the Workers' and Peasants' Navy, border and internal troops.
• Sun consisted of types, and also included the rear of the USSR Armed Forces, the headquarters and troops of the Civil Defense (GO) of the USSR, the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) of the USSR, the border troops of the State Security Committee (KGB) of the USSR. Page 158.

Kinds

Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN)

Main striking force USSR Armed Forces, which was in constant combat readiness. The headquarters was in the city of Vlasikha. The Strategic Missile Forces included:

• Military space forces, as part of the means of launch, control and orbital grouping spacecraft military purpose.;
• Missile armies, missile corps, missile divisions (headquarters in the cities of Vinnitsa, Smolensk, Vladimir, Kirov ( Kirov region), Omsk, Chita, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Orenburg, Tatishchevo, Nikolaev, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dzhambul)
• State Central Interspecific Range
• 10th test site(in the Kazakh SSR)
• 4th Central Research Institute (Yubileiny, Moscow Region, RSFSR)
• military educational institutions (Military Academy in Moscow; military schools in the cities of Kharkov, Serpukhov, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol)
• arsenals and central repair plants, weapons storage bases and military equipment

In addition, there were units and institutions of special troops and rear in the Strategic Missile Forces.

The Strategic Missile Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR Armed Forces were subordinate to him.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1959-1960 - M. I. Nedelin, Chief Marshal of Artillery
• 1960-1962 - K. S. Moskalenko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1963 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1963-1972 - N. I. Krylov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1972-1985 - V. F. Tolubko, General of the Army, since 1983 Chief Marshal of Artillery
• 1985-1992 - Yu. P. Maksimov, General of the Army

Ground Forces (SV)

Ground Forces (1946) - a type of the USSR Armed Forces, designed to conduct combat operations mainly on land, the most numerous and diverse in terms of weapons and methods of combat operations. In terms of its combat capabilities, it is capable of independently or in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces to conduct an offensive in order to defeat enemy groupings of troops and seize its territory, deliver fire strikes to a great depth, repel the enemy’s invasion, its large air and sea assault forces, firmly hold the occupied territories, areas and frontiers. In its composition, the SV had various types of troops, special troops, special forces units and formations (Sp. N) and services. In organizational terms, the SV consisted of subdivisions, units, formations and associations.

SVs were divided into types of troops (motorized rifle troops (MSV), tank troops (TV), airborne troops (VDV), rocket troops and artillery, military air defense troops (arms of service), army aviation, as well as units and subunits of special forces ( engineering, communications, radio engineering, chemical, technical support, rear security).

The commander-in-chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, headed the USSR SV. The Main Headquarters and Directorates of the SV Armed Forces of the USSR were subordinate to him. The number of ground forces of the USSR in 1989 was 1,596,000 people.

• Central Road Construction Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (CDSU MO USSR)

In the design of ceremonial events, on posters, in drawings on postal envelopes and postcards, the image of a conditional decorative "flag of the Ground Forces" was used in the form of a red rectangular panel with a large red five-pointed star in the center, with a gold (yellow) border. This "flag" was never approved and was not made of fabric.

The SV Armed Forces of the USSR were divided according to the territorial principle into military districts (groups of troops), military garrisons:

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1946-1946 - G.K. Zhukov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1946-1950 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1956 - I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1956-1957 - R. Ya. Malinovsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1957-1960 - A. A. Grechko, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1960-1964 - V. I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1967-1980 - I. G. Pavlovsky, army general
• 1980-1985 - V. I. Petrov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1985-1989 - E. F. Ivanovsky, army general
• 1989-1991 - V.I. Varennikov, General of the Army
• 1991-1996 - V. M. Semyonov, army general

Air Defense Forces

The Air Defense Forces (1948) included:

• Troops of rocket and space defense;
• Radio engineering troops Air defense, 1952;
• Anti-aircraft missile troops;
• Fighter aviation (air defense aviation);
• Air Defense Electronic Warfare Troops.
• Special Troops.

In addition, there were rear units and institutions in the Air Defense Forces.

Air Defense Forces were divided according to the territorial principle into air defense districts (groups of troops):

• Air defense district (group of forces) - formations of air defense forces designed to protect against air strikes the most important administrative, industrial centers and regions of the country, groupings of the armed forces, important military and other objects in established boundaries. In the Armed Forces, the air defense districts were created after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of the air defense of the fronts and the military. In 1948, the air defense districts were reorganized into air defense districts, and in 1954 they were recreated.
• Moscow Air Defense District - was intended to cover the most important administrative and economic objects of the Northern, Central, Central Black Earth and Volga-Vyatka economic regions of the USSR from enemy air attacks. In November 1941, the Moscow Air Defense Zone was formed, which in 1943 was transformed into the Moscow Special Air Defense Army, deployed in the air defense of the Moscow Military District. After the war, the Moscow Air Defense District was created on its basis, then the Air Defense District. In August 1954, the Moscow Air Defense District was transformed into the Moscow Air Defense District. In 1980, after the liquidation of the Baku Air Defense District, it became the only association of this type in the USSR.
• Baku Air Defense District.

The USSR air defense was headed by the commander-in-chief, who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the General Staff and Air Defense Directorates of the USSR.

Headquarters city of Balashikha.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1948-1952 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1952-1953 - N. N. Nagorny, Colonel General
• 1953-1954 - K. A. Vershinin, Air Marshal
• 1954-1955 - L. A. Govorov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1955-1962 - S. S. Biryuzov, Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1962-1966 - V. A. Sudets, Air Marshal
• 1966-1978 - P.F. Batitsky, General of the Army, since 1968 Marshal of the Soviet Union
• 1978-1987 - A. I. Koldunov, Colonel General, since 1984 Chief Marshal aviation
• 1987-1991 - I. M. Tretyak, army general

Air Force

The Air Force organizationally consisted of aviation branches: bomber, fighter-bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, communications and sanitary. At the same time, the Air Force was divided into types of aviation: front-line, long-range, military transport, and auxiliary. They had in their composition special troops, units and institutions of the rear.

The Air Force of the USSR Armed Forces was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Head, Head of the Main Directorate, Commander) who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the Main Headquarters and Directorates of the USSR Air Force

Headquarters city of Moscow.

Commanders-in-Chief:

• 1921-1922 - Andrey Vasilyevich Sergeev, Commissar
• 1922-1923 - A. A. Znamensky,
• 1923-1924 - Arkady Pavlovich Rozengolts,
• 1924-1931 - Pyotr Ionovich Baranov,
• 1931-1937 - Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis, Commander of the 2nd rank (1935);
• 1937-1939 - Alexander Dmitrievich Loktionov, Colonel General;
• 1939-1940 - Yakov Vladimirovich Smushkevich, Commander of the 2nd rank, since 1940 Lieutenant General of Aviation;
• 1940-1941 - Pavel Vasilyevich Rychagov, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1941-1942 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, lieutenant general of aviation;
• 1942-1946 - Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, Marshal of Aviation, since 1944 - Chief Marshal of Aviation;
• 1946-1949 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Air Marshal;
• 1949-1957 - Pavel Fedorovich Zhigarev, Air Marshal, since 1956 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1957-1969 - Konstantin Andreevich Vershinin, Chief Air Marshal;
• 1969-1984 - Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov, Air Marshal, since 1972 - Chief Air Marshal;
• 1984-1990 - Alexander Nikolaevich Efimov, Air Marshal;
• 1990-1991 - Evgeny Ivanovich Shaposhnikov, Air Marshal;

Navy

The navy of the USSR organizationally consisted of branches of forces: underwater, surface, naval aviation, coastal missile and artillery troops and marines. It also included ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, special forces units (SpN) and various services. The main branches of forces were submarine forces and naval aviation. In addition, there were units and institutions of the rear.

Organizationally, the USSR Navy included:

• red banner Northern Fleet(1937)
• red banner Pacific Fleet(1935)
• red banner Black Sea Fleet
• Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet
• Red Banner Caspian Flotilla
• Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base

The Soviet Navy was headed by the Commander-in-Chief (Commander, Chief of the Naval Forces of the Republic, People's Commissar, Minister), who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR. He was subordinated to the General Staff and Directorates of the USSR Navy.

The main headquarters of the Navy is the city of Moscow.

Commanders-in-chief who held the post of Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR:

Rear of the USSR Armed Forces

Forces and means intended for logistic support and technical support services for the troops (forces) of the Armed Forces. They were an integral part of the defense potential of the state and a link between the country's economy and the Armed Forces directly. It included the headquarters of the rear, the main and central departments, services, as well as command and control bodies, troops and organizations of central subordination, rear structures of the types and branches of the Armed Forces, military districts (groups of troops) and fleets, associations, formations and military units.

• Main Military Medical Directorate (GVMU MO USSR) (1946) (Main Military Medical Directorate)
• Main Department of Trade (GUT MO USSR) (1956 chief military department of the Ministry of Trade of the USSR)
• Central Directorate of Military Communications (TsUP VOSO MO USSR), incl. 1962 to 1992, GU VOSO (1950)
• Central Food Administration (CPU MO USSR)
• Central clothing department (TsVU MO USSR) (1979) (Department of clothing and household supply, Department of clothing and convoy supply)
• Central Directorate of Rocket Fuel and Fuel (TsURTG USSR Ministry of Defense) (Fuel Supply Service (1979), Fuel and Lubricant Service, Fuel Service Directorate)
• Central Road Administration (CDU of the USSR Ministry of Defense). (Automobile and road department of Logistics of the Kyrgyz Republic (1941), Department of motor transport and road service of the General Staff (1938), Department of motor transport and road service of VOSO)
• Department of Agriculture.
• Office of the Chief of Ecological Security of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Fire, rescue and local defense service of the USSR Armed Forces.
• Railway troops of the USSR Armed Forces.

The logistics of the Armed Forces in the interests of the Armed Forces solved a whole range of tasks, the main of which were: receiving from the economic complex of the state a supply of material resources and rear equipment, storing and providing troops (forces) with them; planning and organizing, together with the transport ministries and departments, the preparation, operation, technical cover, restoration of communications and vehicles; transportation of all types of material means; implementation of operational, supply and other types of military transportation, provision of basing of the Air Force and Navy; technical support troops (forces) for rear services; organizing and carrying out medical and evacuation, sanitary and anti-epidemic (preventive) measures, medical protection of personnel from weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and adverse environmental factors, carrying out veterinary and sanitary measures and measures of rear services for the chemical protection of troops (forces); monitoring the organization and condition of fire protection and local defense of troops (forces), assessing the environmental situation in the places of deployment of troops (forces), forecasting its development and monitoring the implementation of measures to protect personnel from environmentally harmful effects of natural and man-made nature; commercial and household, apartment-operational and financial support; protection and defense of communications and rear facilities in the rear zones, organization of camps (reception points) for prisoners of war (hostages), their registration and support; providing work on exhumation, identification, burial and reburial of servicemen.

To solve these problems, the Rear of the Armed Forces included special troops (road, rail, road, pipeline), formations and units material support, medical formations, units and institutions, stationary bases and warehouses with appropriate supplies of materiel, transport commandant's offices, veterinary and sanitary, repair, agricultural, commercial and household, educational (academy, colleges, faculties and military departments at civilian universities) and other institutions.

Headquarters city of Moscow.

Chiefs:

• 1941-1951 - A. V. Khrulev, army general;
• 1951-1958 - V. I. Vinogradov, Colonel General (1944);
• 1958-1968 - I. Kh. Bagramyan, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1968-1972 - S. S. Maryakhin, army general;
• 1972-1988 - S.K. Kurkotkin, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1988-1991 - V. M. Arkhipov, army general;
• 1991-1991 - I. V. Fuzhenko, Colonel General;

Independent branches of the military

Civil Defense Troops (GO) of the USSR

In 1971, the direct leadership of the civil defense was entrusted to the USSR Ministry of Defense, and the day-to-day management was assigned to the head of the civil defense - the deputy minister of defense of the USSR.

There were regiments of civil defense (in major cities of the USSR), Moscow military school Civil Defense (MVUGO, city of Balashikha), reorganized in 1974 into the Moscow Higher Command School of Road and engineering troops(MVKUDIV), trained specialists for the road troops and civil defense troops.

Chiefs:

• 1961-1972 - V. I. Chuikov, Marshal of the Soviet Union;
• 1972-1986 - A. T. Altunin, Colonel General, (since 1977) - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - V. L. Govorov, army general;

Border troops of the KGB of the USSR

The Border Troops (until 1978 - the KGB under the Council of Ministers of the USSR) - were intended to protect the land, sea and river (lake) borders of the Soviet state. In the USSR, the Border Troops were an integral part of the USSR Armed Forces. The direct leadership of the border troops was carried out by the KGB of the USSR and the Main Directorate of the Border Troops subordinate to it. They consisted of border districts, separate formations (border detachment) and their constituent units that guard the border (border outposts, border commandant's offices, checkpoints), special units (divisions) and educational institutions. In addition, there were aviation units and units in the Border Troops (separate aviation regiments, squadrons), sea (river) units (brigades of border ships, divisions of boats) and rear units. The range of tasks solved by the border troops was determined by the USSR Law of November 24, 1982 "On the State Border of the USSR", the regulation on the protection of the USSR state border, approved on August 5, 1960 by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The legal status of the personnel of the border troops was regulated by the USSR Law on universal military duty, provisions on the passage military service, statutes and instructions.

Border districts and units of central subordination, excluding units and formations transferred from the USSR Ministry of Defense, as of 1991 included:

• Red Banner North-Western Border District.
• Red Banner Baltic Border District.
• Red Banner Western Border District.
• Red Banner Transcaucasian Border District
• Red Banner Central Asian Border District
• Red Banner Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Trans-Baikal Border District.
• Red Banner Far Eastern Border District
• Red Banner Pacific Border District
• North-Eastern border district.
• Separate Arctic border detachment.
• Separate border control detachment "Moscow"
• 105th Separate Special Purpose Border Detachment in Germany (operational subordination - Western Group of Forces).
• Higher Border Command Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky (Alma-Ata);
• Higher Border Command Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after the Moscow City Council (Moscow);
• Higher Border Military-Political Order of the October Revolution Red Banner School of the KGB of the USSR named after K. E. Voroshilov (Golitsyno town);
• Higher border command courses;
• Joint Training Center;
• 2 separate squadrons;
• 2 separate engineering and construction battalions;
• Central Hospital of the Border Troops;
• Central Information and Analytical Center;
• Central archive border troops;
• Central Museum of the Border Troops;
• Faculties and departments under the military educational institutions other departments.

Chiefs:

• 1918-1919 - S. G. Shamshev, (Main Directorate of Border Troops (GUP.v.));
• 1919-1920 - V. A. Stepanov, (Department of border supervision);
• 1920-1921 - V. R. Menzhinsky, (special department of the Cheka (border protection));
• 1922-1923 - A. Kh. Artuzov, (Department of Border Troops, Department of Border Guards (OPO));
• 1923-1925 - Ya. K. Olsky, (OPO);
• 1925-1929 - Z. B. Katsnelson, (Main Directorate of the Border Guard (GUPO));
• 1929 - S. G. Velezhev, (GUPO);
• 1929-1931 - I. A. Vorontsov, (GUPO);
• 1931-1933 - N. M. Bystrykh, (GUPO);
• 1933-1937 - M. P. Frinovsky, (GUPO) (since 1934 the border and internal (GUPiVO)) NKVD of the USSR;
• 1937-1938 - N. K. Kruchinkin, (GUPiVO);
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.);
• 1939-1941 - G. G. Sokolov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1942-1952 - N. P. Stakhanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1952-1953 - P. I. Zyryanov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general (GUP.v.);
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, lieutenant general (GUP. V.v.);
• 1957-1972 - P. I. Zyryanov, lieutenant general, (since 1961) colonel general (GUP.v.);
• 1972-1989 - V. A. Matrosov, Colonel General, (since 1978) Army General (GUP.v.);
• 1989-1992 - I. Ya. Kalinichenko, Colonel General (GUP.v.) (since 1991 commander in chief)

Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR

Internal troops Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, component USSR Armed Forces. Designed to protect state facilities and perform other service and combat tasks defined in special government decrees assigned to the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They guarded the most important objects National economy, as well as socialist property, the personality and rights of citizens, the entire Soviet legal order from the encroachments of criminal elements and performed some other special tasks (protection of places of deprivation of liberty, escort of convicts). The predecessors of the Internal Troops were the Gendarmerie, the Internal Guard Troops of the Republic (VOKhR Troops), the Internal Service Troops, and the Troops of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK). The term Internal Troops appeared in 1921 to designate units of the Cheka serving in the interior of the country, in contrast to the border troops. During the Great Patriotic War, the NKVD troops guarded the rear of the fronts and armies, carried out garrison service in the liberated areas, and participated in the neutralization of enemy agents. Internal troops of the NKVD of the USSR (1941-1946), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR (1946-1947, 1953-1960, 1968-1991), the Ministry of State Security of the USSR (1947-1953), the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR (1960-1962), the MOOP of the RSFSR (1962-1966), MOOP of the USSR (1966-1968), Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (since 1991):

Chiefs:

• 1937-1938 - N. K. Kruchinkin, (Main Directorate of the Border and Internal Guard (GUPiVO));
• 1938-1939 - A. A. Kovalev, (Main Directorate of Border and Internal Troops (GUP. V.v.));
• 1941-1942 - A. I. Gulyev, major general;
• 1942-1944 - I. S. Sheredega, Major General;
• 1944-1946 - A. N. Apollonov, Colonel General;
• 1946-1953 - P. V. Burmak, lieutenant general;
• 1953-1954 - T. F. Filippov, lieutenant general;
• 1954-1956 - A. S. Sirotkin, lieutenant general;
• 1956-1957 - T. A. Strokach, lieutenant general;
• 1957-1960 - S. I. Donskov, lieutenant general;
• 1960-1961 - G. I. Aleinikov, lieutenant general;
• 1961-1968 - N.I. Pilshchuk, lieutenant general;
• 1968-1986 - I. K. Yakovlev, Colonel General, since 1980 - Army General;
• 1986-1991 - Yu. V. Shatalin, Colonel General;

Military duty

Universal conscription, established by Soviet law, followed from the constitutional provision, which determined that the defense of the socialist Fatherland is the sacred duty of every citizen of the USSR, and military service in the ranks USSR Armed Forces- an honorable duty of Soviet citizens (Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of the USSR). The legislation on universal conscription has gone through several stages in its development. Reflecting socio-political changes in the life of society and the need to strengthen the defense of the country, it developed from volunteerism to compulsory military service of the working people and from it to universal military duty.

General military duty was characterized by the following main features:

• it extended only to Soviet citizens;
• was universal: all male citizens of the USSR were subject to conscription; only persons serving a criminal sentence and persons in respect of whom an investigation was conducted or a criminal case was considered by a court were not called;
• it was personal and equal for everyone: it was not allowed to replace a conscript with another person: for evading conscription or from performing duties of military service, the perpetrators were criminally liable;
• had time limits: the terms of active military service, the number and duration of training camps and the age limit for the state in the reserve were precisely established by law;

Conscription under Soviet law was carried out in the following main forms:

• service in the ranks of the USSR Armed Forces within the terms established by law;
• work and service as military builders;
• passing training, verification fees and retraining during the period of state in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces;

The fulfillment of universal military duty was also preliminary training (military-patriotic education, initial military training (NVP), training of specialists for the Armed Forces, improving general literacy, conducting medical and recreational activities and physical training of young people) for military service:

• passage by students in secondary schools, and by other citizens - in the production of NVP, including training in civil defense, with student youth in general education schools(starting from the 9th grade), in secondary specialized educational institutions (SSUZ), and in educational institutions of the vocational education system (VET) by full-time military leaders. Young men who did not study in daytime (full-time) educational institutions of the CWP passed at training centers created (if there are 15 or more young men who are required to pass the CWP) at enterprises, organizations and collective farms; The NVP program included familiarizing young people with the appointment of the Soviet Armed Forces and their nature, with the duties of military service, the basic requirements of the military oath and military regulations. The heads of enterprises, institutions, collective farms and educational institutions were responsible for ensuring that the NVP covered all young men of pre-conscription and military age;
• acquisition of military specialties in educational organizations SPTO - vocational schools and organizations of the Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy (DOSAAF), was intended to ensure constant and high combat readiness of the Armed Forces, was advance and provided for the training of specialists (car drivers, electricians, signalmen, paratroopers and others) from among the young men who had reached 17 years of age. In the cities it was produced on the job. At the same time, for the period of passing the exams, young students were provided with paid leave for 7-15 working days. IN countryside was produced with a break from production at the training camp in the autumn-winter period. In these cases, recruits were kept their jobs, their position and were paid 50% of the average earnings. The costs of renting a dwelling and travel to and from the place of study were also paid;
• the study of military affairs and the acquisition of an officer's specialty by students of higher educational institutions (HEI) and secondary vocational schools, who were engaged in training programs for reserve officers;
• compliance with the rules of military registration and other military duties by conscripts and all citizens who are in the reserve of the USSR Armed Forces.

In order to systematically prepare and organize the call for active military service, the territory of the USSR was divided into district (city) recruiting stations. Citizens who turned 17 years old in the year of registration were assigned to them annually during February - March. Registration to the recruiting stations served as a means of identifying and studying the quantitative and qualitative composition of the recruiting contingents. It was produced by district (city) military commissariats (military registration and enlistment offices) at the place of permanent or temporary residence. Determination of the state of health of those assigned was carried out by doctors allocated by decision of the executive committees (executive committees) of the district (city) Soviets of People's Deputies from local medical institutions. Persons assigned to recruiting stations were called conscripts. They were given a special certificate. Citizens subject to registration were required to appear at the military registration and enlistment office within the time period established on the basis of the Law. A change in the recruiting station was allowed only from January 1 to April 1 and from July 1 to October 1 of the year of conscription. At other times of the year, a change in the recruiting station in some cases could be allowed only for good reasons (for example, moving to a new place of residence as part of a family). The conscription of citizens for active military service was carried out annually everywhere twice a year (in May - June and in November - December) by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR. In troops located in remote and some other areas, the call began a month earlier - in April and October. The number of citizens subject to conscription was established by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The exact dates for the appearance of citizens at the recruiting stations were determined, in accordance with the Law and on the basis of the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, by order of the military commissar. None of the conscripts was exempted from appearing at the recruiting stations (with the exception of the cases established by Article 25 of the Law). Issues related to conscription were resolved by collegiate bodies - draft commissions created in districts and cities under the chairmanship of the relevant military commissars. to the commission as their full members included representatives of local Soviet, party, Komsomol organizations and doctors. The personal composition of the draft commission was approved by the executive committees of the district (city) Soviets of People's Deputies. The district (city) draft commissions were entrusted with:

• a) organization of medical examination of conscripts;
• b) making a decision on conscription for active military service and the assignment of those called up according to the type of armed forces and types of troops;
• c) granting deferrals in accordance with the Law;
• d) exemption from military duty of conscripts in connection with their illnesses or physical disabilities;

When making a decision, the draft commissions were obliged to comprehensively discuss the family and financial situation of the conscript, his state of health, take into account the wishes of the conscript himself, his specialty, the recommendations of the Komsomol and other public organizations. Decisions were made by majority vote. For the management of district (city) draft commissions and control over their activities in the union and autonomous republics, territories, regions and autonomous districts, appropriate commissions were created under the chairmanship of the military commissar of the union or autonomous republic, territories, region or autonomous district. The activities of the draft commissions were controlled by the Soviets of People's Deputies and prosecutorial supervision. For dishonest or biased attitude to the case when resolving the issue of conscription, providing illegal deferrals, members of the draft commissions and doctors involved in the examination of conscripts, as well as other persons who committed abuse, were held liable in accordance with applicable law. The basis for the distribution of conscripts by type of armed forces and combat arms was the principle of industrial qualification and specialty, taking into account the state of health. The same principle was used when conscripting citizens into military construction units (VSO) designed to perform construction and installation work, manufacture structures and parts at industrial and logging enterprises of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The recruitment of the military personnel was carried out mainly from conscripts who graduated from construction schools or had construction or related specialties or experience in construction (plumbers, bulldozer operators, cable workers, etc.). The rights, duties and responsibilities of military builders were determined by military legislation, and their labor activity regulated by labor legislation (with some peculiarities in the application of one or the other). Military builders were paid according to current regulations. The obligatory term of service in the military service was counted towards the term of active military service.

The law determined: - a single draft age for all Soviet citizens - 18 years;

The term of active military service (conscript military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen) is 2-3 years;

A deferment from conscription could be granted on three grounds: a) for health reasons - it was granted to conscripts who were temporarily unfit for military service due to illness (Article 36 of the Law); b) by marital status (Article 34 of the Law); c) to continue education (Article 35 of the Law);

During the period of post-war mass demobilization of 1946-1948, there was no conscription into the Armed Forces. Instead, conscripts were sent to recovery work. A new law on universal conscription was adopted in 1949, in accordance with it, a conscription was established once a year, for a period of 3 years, for a fleet of 4 years. In 1968, the term of service was reduced by one year, instead of conscription once a year, two conscription campaigns were introduced - spring and autumn.

Passage of military service.

Military service is a special type of public service, which consists in the fulfillment by Soviet citizens of constitutional military duty as part of the USSR Armed Forces (Article 63, the Constitution of the USSR). Military service was the most active form of citizens exercising their constitutional duty to defend the socialist Fatherland (Articles 31 and 62 of the Constitution of the USSR), was an honorable duty and was assigned only to citizens of the USSR. Foreigners and stateless persons who lived on the territory of the USSR did not carry out military duty and were not enrolled in military service, while they could be accepted for work (service) in civilian Soviet organizations subject to statutory rules.

Soviet citizens were recruited for military service on a mandatory basis through conscriptions (regular, for training camps and for mobilization) in accordance with the constitutional duty (Article 63 of the Constitution of the USSR), and in accordance with Art. 7 of the Law on General Military Duty (1967), all servicemen and those liable for military service took a military oath of allegiance to their people, their Soviet Motherland and the Soviet government. Military service is characterized by the presence of an institution assigned in accordance with the established article 9 of the Law on universal military duty (1967) personal military ranks, in accordance with which military personnel and those liable for military service were divided into superiors and subordinates, senior and junior, with all the ensuing legal consequences.

IN USSR Armed Forces about 40% of the conscripted contingent who was registered with the military (assigned to the military registration and enlistment offices) were called up.

Forms of military service were installed in accordance with the accepted modern conditions the principle of building the Armed Forces on a permanent personnel basis (a combination of personnel Armed Forces with the presence of a reserve of military-trained citizens liable for military service). Therefore, according to the Law on General Conscription (Article 5), military service was divided into active military service and service in the reserve, each of which proceeded in special forms.

Active military service - the service of Soviet citizens in the personnel of the Armed Forces, as part of the corresponding military units, crews of warships, as well as institutions, institutions and other military organizations. Persons enrolled in active military service were called military personnel, they entered into military service relations with the state, were appointed to such positions provided by the states, for which certain military or special training was required.

In accordance with the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, the difference in the nature and scope of the service competence of personnel, the state adopted and used the following forms of active military service:

• urgent military service of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen
• extended military service of sergeants and foremen
• service of ensigns and midshipmen
• service officers, including officers who were called up from the reserve for a period of 2-3 years

As additional form active military service was used by the service of women taken in peacetime in USSR Armed Forces on a voluntary basis for the positions of soldiers and sailors, sergeants and foremen;

The service (work) of military builders was adjacent to the forms of military service.

Service in reserve- periodic performance of military service by citizens enlisted in the reserve of the Armed Forces. Persons who were in the reserve were called reserve soldiers.

Forms of military service during the state in the reserve were short-term fees and retraining:

• training camps aimed at improving the military and special training of conscripts, maintaining it at the level modern requirements;
• verification fees, which are intended to determine the combat and mobilization readiness of military command and control bodies (OVU);

The legal status of the personnel of the USSR Armed Forces was regulated by:

• Constitution (Basic Law) of the USSR, (1977)
• Law of the USSR on universal military obligation, (1967)
• General military charters of the USSR Armed Forces and the Ship charter
• Regulations on the passage of military service (officers, ensigns and re-enlisted personnel, etc.)
• Combat regulations
• Instructions
• Instructions
• Guides
• Orders
• orders

USSR Armed Forces abroad

• Group of Soviet troops in Germany. (GSVG)
• Northern Group of Forces (SGV)
• Central Group of Forces (CGV)
• Southern Group of Forces (YUGV)
• Group of Soviet military specialists in Cuba (GSVSK)
• GSVM. Soviet troops in Mongolia belonged to the Trans-Baikal Military District.
• Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan (OKSVA). Soviet army units in Afghanistan belonged to the Turkestan military district, and units of the border troops as part of OKSVA belonged to the Central Asian border district and the Eastern border district.
• Basing points (PB) of the Soviet Navy: - Tartus in Syria, Cam Ranh in Vietnam, Umm Qasr in Iraq, Nokra in Ethiopia.
• Naval base Porkkala-Udd, Republic of Finland;

Hostilities

States (countries) in which armed forces of the USSR or military advisers and specialists armed forces of the USSR participated in the hostilities (were during the hostilities) after the Second World War:

• China 1946-1949, 1950
• North Korea 1950-1953
• Hungary 1956
• North Vietnam 1965-1973
• Czechoslovakia 1968
• Egypt 1969-1970
• Angola 1975-1991
• Mozambique 1976-1991
• Ethiopia 1975-1991
• Libya 1977
• Afghanistan 1979-1989

• Syria 1982
• Interesting Facts

• From June 22, 1941 to July 1, 1941 (9 days) Armed Forces of the USSR 5,300,000 people joined.
• In July 1946, the first missile unit was formed on the basis of the guards mortar regiment.
• In 1947, into service Soviet troops the first R-1 missiles began to arrive.
• In 1947 - 1950, mass production and mass entry into the armed forces of jet aircraft began.
• Since 1952, the Air Defense Forces of the country have been equipped with anti-aircraft missiles.
• In September 1954, the first major military exercise with a real explosion of an atomic bomb was held in the Semipalatinsk region.
• In 1955, the first ballistic missile was launched from a submarine.
• In 1957, the first tactical exercise was held with tanks crossing the river along the bottom.
• In 1966, a detachment of nuclear submarines made circumnavigation without surfacing to the sea surface.
• Armed Forces of the USSR the first in the world, en masse adopted such a class of armored vehicles as an infantry fighting vehicle. BMP-1 appeared in the army in 1966. In NATO countries, an approximate analogue of Marder will appear only in 1970.
• In the late 1970s of the XX century, in service Armed Forces of the USSR consisted of about 68 thousand tanks, and tank troops included 8 tank armies.
• During the period from 1967 to 1979, 122 nuclear submarines were built in the USSR. In thirteen years, five aircraft carriers were built.
• In the late 1980s, construction units in terms of the number of personnel (350,000 - 450,000) exceeded such branches of the USSR Armed Forces as the Border Troops (220,000), Airborne Troops(60,000), Marine Corps (15,000) - combined.
• There is a precedent in the History of the USSR Armed Forces when a motorized rifle regiment, actually being under a state of siege, defended the territory of its own military camp for 3 years and 9 months.
• The number of personnel of the Marine Corps of the USSR Armed Forces was 16 times smaller than the US Marine Corps - the main probable enemy.
• Despite the fact that Afghanistan is a mountainous country with non-navigable rivers, in the Afghan war they took Active participation sea ​​(river) units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR.
• Every year in service in USSR Armed Forces 400 - 600 aircraft were received. From the answers of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Colonel-General A. Zelin at a press conference at MAKS-2009 (August 20, 2009). The accident rate in the Air Force in the 1960s - 1980s was at the level of 100 - 150 accidents and disasters annually.
• The military personnel who found themselves under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, when they were created on March 16 - May 7, 1992, did not take the oath, they did not violate this oath, but were bound by the following oath:

The year 1917 was a turning point in the history of our country, in the course of two revolutions the former monarchical state system was liquidated, obsolete institutions and organs of tsarist power were destroyed in all spheres of life. The internal situation in the state was quite complicated: it was necessary to protect the new socialist system and the achievements of the October Revolution. The external situation was also extremely dangerous for the Bolsheviks: hostilities continued with Germany, which led an active offensive and approached directly to the borders of our homeland.

The Birth of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army

The young Soviet state needed protection. In the first months after October revolution the functions of the army were performed by the Red Guard, which by the beginning of 1918 included over 400 thousand soldiers. However, the poorly armed and untrained guards could not seriously oppose the Kaiser's troops, so on January 15, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree on the creation of the Red Army (Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army).

Already in February, the new army entered into battles with German fighters in the region of Pskov and Narva, on the territory of Belarus and Ukraine. It is worth noting that the initial service life was six months, but after some time (in October 1918) it increased to one year. Shoulder straps and insignia were abolished in the army as a relic of the tsarist regime. The troops of the Red Army took an active part in the fight against the White Guards, with the interventionists from the Entente countries, played an important role in strengthening Soviet power in the center and locally.

Army of the USSR in 1920-1930s

The goal of the Red Army, which was set before it by the Soviet government, was fulfilled: the internal situation in the state after the end of the Civil War became peaceful, the threat of expansion from the Western powers also began to gradually fade away. On December 30, 1922, a significant event took place not only in the history of Russia, but of the whole world - four countries (RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, BSSR, ZSFSR) united into one state - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

There was a progressive development of the army of the USSR:

1. Special military schools were created to train officers and commanders.
2. In 1922, another decree of the Council of People's Commissars was issued, which proclaimed universal military service, and also established new terms of service - from 1.5 to 4 years (depending on the type of troops).
3. All citizens of the Union republics, regardless of their national, religious, racial, social origin, at the age of 20 (from 1924 - from 21) were required to serve in the army in the USSR.
4. A system of deferrals was envisaged: they could be obtained in view of studying at educational institutions, as well as for family reasons.

The geopolitical situation in the world was heated to the limit due to the aggressive foreign policy Nazi Germany, another threat of war was created, in connection with this, the army was modernized: the military industry was actively developing, including aircraft and shipbuilding, and the production of weapons. The size of the army in the USSR in the 1930s steadily increased: in 1935 it amounted to 930 thousand people, three years later this figure reached 1.5 million soldiers. By the beginning of 1941, there were more than 5 million fighters in the Soviet army.

The Red Army of the USSR at the first stage of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1942)

On June 22, 1941, there was a perfidious attack by German troops on Soviet Union. It was a real test of strength not only of the entire people, but also of the Red Army. It is worth noting that, in addition to progressive trends in military development, there were also negative ones:

1. In the 1930s a number of prominent military leaders (Tukhachevsky, Uborevich, Yakir, etc.) and commanders were accused of crimes against the Soviet state and shot, which contributed to the deterioration of the situation with military personnel. There was a shortage of talented and competent army commanders.
2. In fact, the not very successful conduct of military operations of the Soviet army in the war with Finland (1939-1940) showed its unpreparedness for battles with a serious enemy.

A number of statistical indicators testify to the military superiority of the Third Reich at the beginning of the war:

• in terms of the total number of troops, Germany surpassed the army of the USSR - 8.5 million people. against 4.8 million people;
• in terms of the number of guns and mortars - 47.2 thousand for the Nazis against 32.9 thousand for the Soviet Union.

During the summer-autumn of 1941, German troops rapidly seized territory beyond the territory, approaching Moscow in the autumn of that year. Only the heroic actions of the Red Army in the battle near Moscow did not allow the plans of the "blitzkrieg" to come true, the enemy was driven back from the capital. The myth of the invincible German military machine was destroyed.

However, the first half of 1942 was not so rosy: the Nazis went on the offensive, gained success in the battles in the Crimea and in the Battle of Kharkov, and there was a threat of capturing Stalingrad. In the second half of 1942, the quantitative growth of our army and qualitative changes take place:

• the volume of deliveries of military equipment and ammunition has increased;
• the system of officer-command personnel training was improved;
• the role of tank troops and artillery increased.

The Battle of Stalingrad, which began in 1942, ended in February 1943 with a successful counteroffensive by the Red Army, which defeated the troops of Field Marshal von Paulus. From now on, the strategic initiative in the Great Patriotic War passed to the USSR.

The year 1943 was a turning point for the Soviet army: our soldiers successfully carried out military operations, won the Battle of Kursk, liberated Kursk and Belgorod from the Nazis, and gradually began to liberate the country's territory from the aggressor. The troops became much more combat-ready, in comparison with the first stage of the war, the army leadership skillfully implemented complex tactical maneuvers, brilliant strategy and ingenuity. At the beginning of the year, previously canceled shoulder straps were introduced, the system of ranks in the army in the USSR was restored, Suvorov and Nakhimov schools were opened throughout the country.

In the spring of 1944, the Soviet army reached the borders of the territory of the USSR and began the liberation of European countries oppressed by German Nazism. In April 1945, a successful offensive began on Berlin, the capital of the Third Reich. On the night of May 8-9, the German military leadership signed an act of surrender. In August 1945, the Soviet Union began a war against militaristic Japan, defeated Kwantung Army and forced to accept the defeat of Emperor Hirohito.

In total, during these long four years of hostilities, over 34 million Soviet citizens took part in them, a third of whom did not return from the fields of the Second World War. During the war, the Red Army demonstrated its readiness to fight mercilessly against any enemy encroaching on our homeland, liberated the countries of Europe from fascist enslavement, and gave them a peaceful sky above their heads.

cold war

After the end of World War II and the death of I.V. Stalin, the foreign policy doctrine of the USSR changed: peaceful rivalry and coexistence of the countries of the socialist and capitalist camps were proclaimed. However, this doctrine was a kind of formality, since in fact already in the 1940s. the so-called cold war began - a state of political, cultural confrontation between the Soviet Union, the countries participating in the Warsaw Treaty Organization on the one hand, against the United States and the West (NATO) on the other.

Conflicts flared up regularly, threatening the world with another military clash: the Korean War (1950-1953), the Berlin (1961) and Caribbean (1962) crises. But despite this, N.S. Khrushchev, as the head of the Soviet state, believed that it was necessary to reduce the army, the arms race leads to an uneven development of the economy. During the 1950-1960s. the size of the army was reduced from 5.7 million people. (1955) to 3.3 million people. (1963-1964). During this period, the vertical of power in the domestic army was finally taking shape: its leadership belonged to the Minister of Defense, and the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers and the Supreme Soviet of the USSR also had the ability to control. The composition of the Soviet armed forces is being formed. They included:

• ground troops;
• air Force;
• Navy;
• Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN).

Armed forces of the USSR in the era of detente

In the early 1970s took place an important event- the signing of agreements in Helsinki (1972), which for some time managed to stop the arms race and confrontation between the countries of the socialist and capitalist camps. However, this period was not calm for the Soviet army: the leadership of the Central Committee of the CPSU actively used it to support regimes friendly to the Soviet Union in African countries.

The largest armed conflicts of the 70s of the twentieth century, in which the USSR and the Soviet army took a direct part, were the Arab-Israeli war (1967-1974), the war in Angola (1975-1992) and Ethiopia (1977-1990). .). In total, more than 40 thousand military men were involved in the wars in Africa, the death toll from the Soviet side amounted to more than 150 people.

In addition, regimes friendly to the USSR received a large amount of ammunition, armored vehicles, aviation, a huge amount of money was sent to the countries free of charge, as well as party workers and technical specialists. Soviet troops were stationed on the territories of the countries of the socialist camp: in Czechoslovakia, Cuba, Mongolia, their largest representation was on the territory of the German Democratic Republic, the 20th tank and 6th guards motorized rifle divisions were located in the Polish People's Republic.

The size of the Soviet army gradually decreased, reaching in the early 1970s. mark of 2 million people. The culminating and, of course, tragic event that marked the end of the era of detente in international relations and claimed thousands of soldiers' lives, was the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989).

This terrible word "Afghan"

1979 became the starting point for a new local armed clash, in which the USSR army took an active part. In Afghanistan, a conflict broke out between the country's leadership and the opposition. The Soviet Union supported the ruling People's Democratic Party, while the US and Pakistanis supported the local Mujahideen.

On December 12, the Central Committee of the CPSU decided to send a limited contingent of troops into the Asian country. Especially for these purposes, the 40th Army was created, headed by Lieutenant General Yu. Tukharinov. Initially, more than 81,000 Soviet troops went to Afghanistan, most of them conscripts. Despite the successful actions of the 40th Army, the Afghan Mujahideen, who received financial and military support from the United States and Pakistan, did not stop fighting. Every year the number of Soviet troops in this country increased, reaching by 1985 the maximum mark - 108.8 thousand people.

In 1985-1986 The 40th Army conducted a number of successful military operations in the Kunar Gorge, in Khost. In 1987, Kandahar became the main military arena, the battles for which were particularly fierce.

After the arrival of M.S. Gorbachev to power, there was a gradual transition from the doctrine of rivalry to the doctrine of peaceful coexistence between the countries of the Warsaw Treaty Organization and NATO. In 1988 general secretary The Central Committee of the CPSU decided to withdraw Soviet troops from Afghanistan. On February 15, 1989, this decision was finally implemented: the 40th Army returned to the USSR.

During the ten years of the Afghan war, the Soviet Union suffered massive losses: in total, more than 600 thousand Soviet soldiers took part in the monstrous "meat grinder", of which about 15 thousand people did not return home. During the fighting, several hundred aircraft, helicopters, and tanks were destroyed. The Afghan inflicted huge spiritual wounds on thousands of former soldiers, generations of young guys became victims of the ideological interests of the state.

1989 - 1991 became a turning point in our history: the once mighty Soviet state was collapsing before our eyes, the Baltic republics adopted declarations of sovereignty and began to secede from the Union, local conflicts began to flare up between the peoples of the republics over disputed territories. One of the largest was the clash between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over Nagorno-Karabakh, in the suppression of which units of the Soviet army took part.
There were changes in the geopolitical world system: the unification of Germany took place, velvet revolutions swept away the socialist regimes in the Balkans. Military units, previously stationed abroad, were forced to leave the territories of the countries.

The army was in decline: military units were disbanded en masse, the number of generals was reduced, thousands of tanks, aircraft, and armored vehicles were decommissioned.

Liquidation of the Armed Forces of the USSR and the creation of national armies

The agony of the Soviet Union continued: the August events of 1991 demonstrated the impossibility of the existence of a union state. The parade of sovereignties has begun.

By the summer of 1991, the total number of the Armed Forces was almost 4 million people, but in the autumn events took place that put an end to the existence of a single allied army: in the autumn, in a number of republics (Belarus, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, etc.), the creation of national military formations was announced by presidential decrees .

December 25, 1991 President M.S. Gorbachev de jure announced the liquidation of the Soviet Union as a state, thus the question of the existence of the Soviet Armed Forces was a foregone conclusion. A new page began in the history of the Russian armed forces, the general army of the former USSR broke up into many independent units.

ARMED FORCES OF THE USSR, a state military organization that formed the basis of the military power of the USSR.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, they consisted of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, Navy, Air Defense Forces of the country, Logistics of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces also included border troops and internal troops. By the beginning of the war, there were 16 military districts, 1 front (Far Eastern) on the territory of the country, and there were also 4 fleets (Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, Pacific) and 3 separate military flotillas (Pinsk, Caspian and Amur).

The supreme leadership of the defense of the country and the Armed Forces was carried out by the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. He coordinated all activities aimed at strengthening the military potential and increasing the defense capability of the USSR, a special body of the Council of People's Commissars - the USSR Defense Committee.

The direct control of the Armed Forces was carried out by the People's Commissariat of Defense (from May 1940 People's Commissar Marshal of the Soviet Union S.K. Timoshenko) and the People's Commissariat of the Navy (from April 1939 People's Commissar, flagship of the fleet of the 2nd rank, from June 1940 adm. N.G. Kuznetsov). Under the chairmanship of the People's Commissar of Defense and the People's Commissar of the Navy, the main military councils of the Kyrgyz Republic functioned as collegiate bodies. army and navy. General Staff Kr. The army was led by Gen. army G.K. Zhukov.

The situation was rapidly growing in the late 1930s. The threat of war made high demands on the organization and training of the USSR Armed Forces, increasing their combat readiness and combat capability. The most important tasks in the construction of the Armed Forces at that time were to increase the number of troops (forces), increase their technical equipment, and establish the optimal ratio of the number of types of Armed Forces.

Based on the conclusions of the owls. military science that the main role in a future war is assigned to the Ground Forces, the ratio of types of the Armed Forces in terms of the number of personnel in June 1941 was (in%): Ground Forces - 79.3; Air Force - 11.5; Navy - 5.8; Air defense troops of the country's territory - 3.4. In the Ground Forces, the main emphasis was on the development rifle troops, armored troops, artillery. The cavalry, airborne troops, railway, automobile, engineering, chemical troops, Signal Corps. In the Air Force, the main attention was paid to the development of fighter and bomber aviation, and attack aviation was created. The Navy was replenished with new surface ships and submarines.

Particularly noticeable was the growth in the technical equipment of the USSR Armed Forces in 1939 - the 1st half. 1941. Compared with 1939, the volume of military production in 1941 increased by 30%. During this period, new types of heavy and medium tanks were put into mass production, new artillery guns and powerful jet weapons for salvo firing at area targets were developed, new types of fighters, a dive bomber, an attack aircraft, and several models of warships for the light forces of the fleet were created.

Scientists and designers provided high quality and reliability of owls. military equipment in many respects the best in the world: La-5 fighters (designer S.A. Lavochkin) and Yak-9 (A.S. Yakovleva), Il-2 attack aircraft (S.V. Ilyushin), Pe-2 bomber ( V.M. Petlyakov), medium tank T-34 (M.I. Koshkin) and heavy KV (J.Ya. Kotin), rocket artillery fighting vehicle BM-13 "Katyusha" (I.T. Kleimenov and G.E. Langemak) and others. Geologists discovered new deposits of strategic materials (bauxite, manganese, molybdenum). Methods for degaussing warships (I.V. Kurchatov, A.P. Aleksandrov), automatic welding of armor (E.O. Platon) were developed, and automatic machine tools for the production of cartridges were designed. Great successes have been achieved in the field of military medicine, which subsequently made it possible to return St. 70% of wounded soldiers.

The organizational structure of the troops has been significantly improved. The composition of the rifle division included tanks, more powerful divisional artillery, anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, which significantly increased their firepower and strike force. RVGK artillery received further development. Instead of separate tank and mechanized brigades, the formation of tank and motorized divisions began. In 1941 it was planned to form approx. 20 mechanized corps. In the airborne troops, which consisted of brigades, airborne corps were formed. There has been a transition to a divisional organization in the Air Force.

Simultaneously with the technical re-equipment of the army and navy, their numbers increased. Adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 1, 1939, the Law on Universal Military Duty legally completed the transfer of the Red Army and Navy to a personnel system, and made it possible to increase their numbers, which by mid-1941 amounted to 4.6 million people. In total, the Ground Forces by this time had 303 divisions (of which about 1/4 was in the process of formation). However, not all planned organizational and other measures for the Armed Forces were completed by the beginning of the war. The motorization of the infantry remained insufficient, the re-equipment of formations and units with new models of weapons and military equipment was not completed. Most of the formations transferred to the new states turned out to be not fully equipped with weapons, military equipment and vehicles. Owls. military science in prewar years did not fully take into account the possibility of a sudden invasion of large enemy forces and insufficiently developed methods of conducting defense on an operational and strategic scale.

Despite the large scope for the training of military personnel, the system of military educational institutions did not keep up with the pace of deployment of the Armed Forces. The consequences political repression in 1937-39 and in subsequent years, to which many owls were unreasonably subjected. military leaders, commanders and political workers. Most of the reserve commanders were unable to undergo retraining for the start of the war. The share of commanders with a higher military education in 1940 decreased by more than 2 times compared to 1936. and bosses did not have enough time to acquire the experience needed to work in new, higher positions.

Major miscalculations were made in determining the time of application, directions and force of blows to it. troops. Serious mistakes took place in the choice of areas for basing aviation and placing stocks of material and technical means, most of which were located near the state. borders. The deployment of the armed forces groupings did not have a clear plan. The Red Army did not have sufficient experience in conducting a modern war, organizing the interaction of troops, effective use new weapons and military equipment.

After the German attack on June 22, 1941, a radical restructuring of the entire military organization of the state began in the USSR. On June 30, 1941, an emergency body was formed - State Committee Defense (GKO) chaired by I.V. Stalin, who also became People's Commissar of Defense (19.07.1941) and Supreme Commander-in-Chief (08.08.1941). On July 10, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was formed for the strategic leadership of the Armed Forces (see. Headquarters of the Supreme High Command), the main body of which was the General Staff of the Red Army, intermediate leadership bodies were created - the main commands of the troops of the directions (abolished in May - June 1942). On the basis of the border military districts, 5 fronts were formed (during the course of the war at different periods there were 10-15 of them), which became the operational-strategic formations of the Armed Forces. As of July 1, 1941, 5.3 million people were called up for mobilization in the Armed Forces. active army from June 1941 to Nov. 1942 increased from 2.9 million to 6.6 million people. Mobilization made it possible to deploy training reserves and reinforce the main groupings of troops.

However, in the initial period of the war, the advanced strategic echelon of the Red Army was defeated, the enemy captured a significant territory of the USSR and approached Moscow and Leningrad. By the end of 1941, extraordinary measures, the self-sacrifice of the people, the heroism of the soldiers of the army and navy managed to stop the enemy and frustrate his plan of "blitzkrieg". The Moscow battle of 1941–42 dispelled the myth of German invincibility. army. In the summer of 1942 the center of operations moved to the south wing Soviet-German front.

On an ever-increasing scale, the army received weapons and military equipment, and above all their main types - artillery, tanks, and aircraft. From Dec. 1941 to Nov. 1942, the number of the most important combat weapons increased: for guns and mortars - from 22 thousand to 77.8 (without anti-aircraft guns), for tanks - from 1954 to 7350, for combat aircraft - from 2238 to 4544 units. The improvement of the organizational structure of all military branches and special troops continued. In June 1941, the formation of rocket artillery units began. In September, in the battles near Yelnya, the Soviet Guard was born. In 1941–42, mechanized corps, artillery divisions of the RVGK, sapper armies, regiments, battalions and radio communications divisions, companies of high-explosive flamethrowers, and detachment. flamethrower tank battalions and otd. flamethrower-tank brigades of the RVGK, automobile battalions, railway brigades.

By the end of the first period of the war, the strike force of the Ground Forces increased, which was due to the quantitative and qualitative growth of armored and mechanized troops, artillery and military air defense. In Aug. 1941 the Air Force was reorganized - the number of regiments and divisions and aircraft in the regiments decreased. Regiments were formed for night operations, reserve aviation groups, and from March 1942 - strike aviation groups, which were at the disposal of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. Since May 1942, operational aviation formations - air armies - began to form on the basis of the air forces of the fronts. From Nov. 1941 began a radical reorganization of the air defense. In the Navy, in a short time, units and formations of fleets were transferred to wartime states, and new units were formed. By the end of 1941, 46 new ships of the main classes entered service.

With the beginning of the war, the system of training and education of commanding officers and specialists was restructured. Early graduations of students of academies and cadets of military schools were made. In 1942, 53 new military schools were opened. The possibilities of the pre-war network of military educational institutions were also increased by increasing their capacity and reducing the duration of training. A large number of front-line and army courses were created for the accelerated training of junior officers. In July 1941, the institution of military commissars was introduced (abolished on October 9, 1942). The power of the USSR Armed Forces continued to build up: by the summer of 1942, they included approx. 11 million people, including in the active army - St. 5.5 million people From the middle of 1942, the defense industry began to increase the output of military products and more fully meet the needs of the front. As a result of the measures taken by the USSR Armed Forces, despite the losses incurred, by mid-November. In 1942, their organizational strength was significantly strengthened, their technical equipment improved, the troops gained combat experience, and the combat skills of the personnel increased. In fierce battles and battles, the Red Army and Navy inflicted a heavy defeat on the enemy near Leningrad, in Moscow and Stalingrad battles, in the North Caucasus and seized the strategic initiative in the war.

In the second period of the war (Nov. 1942 - Dec. 1943), organizational measures in the army and navy were aimed at ensuring the massive use and effective use of military equipment, a significant increase in the fire and strike power of all types of the Armed Forces and military branches. By the middle of 1943, in comparison with the end of 1942, the number of weapons in the USSR Armed Forces had increased by 1.3 times, armored vehicles - by 1.4, aircraft - by 2.3 times. The Red Army has surpassed him. troops in tanks and artillery almost 2 times, in aircraft 3 times. Total in the active army in Dec. In 1943 there were 11 fronts, 66 departments of combined arms armies and 3 tank armies. The mass production of weapons in 1943 made it possible to strengthen divisional artillery and create corps, army, and powerful artillery of the RVGK. A significant number of tank and mechanized corps were formed, most of which were later reduced to tank armies. homogeneous composition. Armored and mechanized troops became the main striking force of the Ground Forces (by the end of 1943 they included 24 tank and 13 mechanized divisions, about 50% were part of 5 tank armies).

The increasing role of aviation during the war, the quantitative and qualitative growth of the aircraft fleet necessitated new, significant organizational changes in the Air Force. The composition of aviation divisions, corps and air armies has increased. The Air Defense Forces of the country's territory have become stronger organizationally and numerically. The creation of naval defense areas continued in the Navy, the number of marines increased, and new naval formations were formed. The problem of creating strategic reserves was successfully solved. Thus, during the winter campaign of 1942/43, the Headquarters transferred to the fronts from its reserve 4 tank armies, 29 tank and mechanized corps, 108 rifle, 23 artillery, 26 anti-aircraft artillery, 19 aviation divisions, 16 engineering brigades and other formations and units, and in the summer and autumn of 1943, combined arms formations - 2, tank and aviation formations - 3 times more than in winter.

In 1943, a qualitatively new stage in the construction of the USSR Armed Forces was completed: there were significant changes in their military-technical equipment and organizational structure, in the development of military art, the personnel have accumulated rich experience in combat operations. This was reflected in the newly issued statutory documents: the Combat Regulations of the Infantry (1942), the draft Field Regulations of the Red Army and a number of regulations of the military branches. At the beginning of 1943, new insignia were introduced - shoulder straps. In order to increase the authority of the commanding cadres and their responsibility, in July 1943 the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established a new procedure for conferring military ranks. The entire command and command staff in the rank of ml. lieutenant to colonel inclusive became known as officers. The growth of combat power and the strengthening of the morale of the troops allowed the USSR Armed Forces to win victories in Battle of Kursk, battle for the Dnieper 1943, successfully carry out a number of other operations. From Nov. 1942 to Dec. 1943 The Red Army fought from 500 to 1300 km and liberated from it. invaders a significant part of the occupied owls. territory. And by the end of 1944 the territory of the USSR was completely cleared of the enemy.

In the third period of the war (January 1944 - May 1945), the Red Army continued to be equipped with weapons and military equipment. Compared with the first period of the war, the number of fronts increased: tanks and self-propelled guns - 4-6 times, guns and mortars - 4-5 times, aircraft - 4-8 times. By the beginning of 1945, there were 9.4 million people, 144.2 thousand op. and mortars, 15.7 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns, 22.6 thousand combat aircraft. Compared with June 1944, the number of armed forces increased by more than 300 thousand people, the number of tanks and self-propelled guns - by 3.9 thousand, guns and mortars - by 11 thousand, combat aircraft - by 820. Most of the USSR Armed Forces were concentrated in Sov.-German. front, where they outnumbered the enemy in guns and mortars almost 4 times, in tanks and self-propelled guns in 3, in combat aircraft 8 times. The dominant position was still occupied by the Ground Forces. In terms of the number of personnel by the end of the war, they accounted for 80%, the Air Force - St. 8%. The share of air defense troops increased from 3.3% in Dec. 1941 to 5% in May 1945, and the Navy decreased from 5.8% in 1941 to 3.6% in June 1943 and then increased to 5.3% in May 1945.

In 1945, the USSR Armed Forces, together with the allied armies of the countries anti-Hitler coalition liberated Europe from occupation and finally defeated Germany and its allies.

The final act of World War II for the Soviets. Union has become Soviet-Japanese War 1945 in the Far East, in which the USSR Armed Forces defeated the Japanese Kwantung Army as soon as possible.

During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Armed Forces covered themselves with unfading glory. Behind feats of arms St. 7 million owls. soldiers were awarded orders and medals, approx. 11.6 thousand were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviets. Union. Mass heroism was characteristic not only for individual soldiers, but also for entire units, formations and associations. For distinction in the battles for the Fatherland with him. 10.9 thousand military orders were awarded to regiments and divisions by invaders. Many of them have been awarded orders several times. 354 times Moscow saluted the valiant owls. troops and navy. Hundreds of military formations and units were awarded honorary titles.

The defeat of the most powerful and dangerous for the world community Armed Forces of fascist Germany and militaristic Japan was a severe test for the Armed Forces and the peoples of the USSR, and they withstood this test with honor. The Soviet Armed Forces expelled the enemy from the USSR, defended the independence and territorial integrity of the country. The fascist bloc suffered a complete and crushing defeat, Germany unconditionally capitulated. The USSR Armed Forces played a decisive role in delivering the peoples of Europe and Asia from the threat of fascism. enslavement, brought them freedom and peace. The entry of the USSR into the war in the Far East hastened the defeat of militaristic Japan.

Research Institute (Military History) VAGSh RF Armed Forces

From the first days of peaceful life in 1945, the rear services of the Red Army were entrusted with enormous tasks to demobilize the personnel of the Armed Forces, ensure the reduction and withdrawal of troops to places of permanent deployment, their daily provision and arrangement, participation in the restoration of the national economy, as well as a number of other , no less important areas for ensuring the life of the army. The fulfillment of these tasks took place in the conditions of the transfer of their activities to peaceful military-economic economic ties with state and local authorities against the background of reductions in their structural units and institutions.

In February 1946, the People's Commissariats of Defense and the Navy were reorganized. The leadership of the army, aviation and navy was headed by:

★People's Commissariat of the Armed Forces. →
★Ministry of Armed Forces C March 1946. →
★Ministry of Defense of the USSR Since March 1953.

After the reorganization in 1946 of the top management of the military body of the USSR by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 629 dated March 21, 1946 and by order of the Deputy Minister of the Armed Forces of the USSR, General of the Army N. Bulganin No. 1 dated March 22, 1946 General of the Army A.V. Khrulev. A little later, by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1012-417 dated May 13, 1946 three deputy chiefs of the Logistics, three chiefs of the Main Directorate and one chief of the Central Directorate were appointed. One of the deputy chiefs of Logistics, Colonel General V.I. Vinogradov, was appointed chief of staff of the Logistics of the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR.

First post-war years The Armed Forces of the USSR had a three-service structure - the Ground Forces, the Air Force, and the Navy. The air defense forces of the country and the airborne troops had organizational independence. The Armed Forces included the border troops of the KGB of the USSR and the internal troops of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. They were managed by the respective commanders-in-chief and main headquarters. In order to quickly and organizationally reduce the army and transfer it to a peaceful position, the number of military districts was significantly increased. TO October 01, 1945 there were 32 of them, then, as the Armed Forces were reduced, the districts were also abolished (1946 - 21, from the beginning of the 50s - 16);

Changes in the system of training military personnel. A transition has begun from accelerated training of personnel to systematic, well-organized studies based on stable programs. Two- and then three-year terms of study are being introduced in military schools. Along with the improvement of existing academies and schools, new ones are being created (4 academies and 32 military schools were opened in 1946-1953), mainly of an engineering and technical profile. The number of students and cadets increased, the profile of their training changed, and officers with combat experience were sent to teaching.

The Airborne Forces were withdrawn from the Air Force in 1946. On the basis of separate airborne brigades and some rifle divisions, parachute and airborne formations and units were formed. The airborne corps was a combined-arms operational-tactical formation, intended for operations behind enemy lines in the interests of troops advancing from the front.

One of the main directions in the military construction of the USSR was the creation and improvement of new means of armed struggle, and above all, atomic weapons.

The first of them - special-purpose brigades equipped with R-1 and R-2 missiles in conventional equipment - began to be created in 1946.

December 25, 1946 A nuclear reactor was put into operation in the USSR.

The USSR Armed Forces in 1946 had three types: Ground Forces, Air Force and Navy. The Air Defense Forces of the country and the Airborne Forces had organizational independence. The Armed Forces included the Border Troops and the Internal Troops.

The country's air defense forces in 1948 became an independent type of aircraft. In the same period, the country's air defense system was reorganized. The entire territory of the USSR was divided into a border strip and an internal territory. Air defense of the border strip was assigned to the commanders of the districts, and naval bases - to the commanders of the fleets. Under their command were military air defense systems located in the same strip. The interior territory was defended by the Air Defense Forces of the country, which became a powerful and reliable means of covering important centers of the country and groupings of troops.

In connection with the end of the war, associations, formations and units of the USSR Armed Forces moved to areas of permanent deployment and were transferred to new states. In order to quickly and organizedly reduce the army and transfer it to a peaceful position, the number of military districts was significantly increased. The administrations of the fronts and some armies were turned to their formation.

The main and most numerous type of armed forces remained the Ground Forces, which included rifle, armored and mechanized troops, artillery, cavalry and special troops (engineering, chemical, communications, automobile, road, etc.).

The main operational unit of the Ground Forces was the combined arms army. In addition to combined arms formations

it included parts of the army anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, mortar, engineer-sapper and other army units. With the motorization of divisions and the inclusion of a heavy tank-self-propelled regiment in the combat strength of the army, it essentially acquired the properties of a mechanized association.

The main types of combined arms formations were rifle, mechanized and tank divisions. The rifle corps was considered the highest combined-arms tactical unit. The combined arms army included several rifle corps.

There was a military-technical and organizational-staff strengthening of rifle regiments and rifle divisions. In units and formations, the number of automatic weapons and artillery was increased (regular tanks and self-propelled guns appeared in them). So, a self-propelled gun battery was introduced into the rifle regiment, and a self-propelled tank regiment, a separate anti-aircraft artillery battalion, a second artillery regiment and other units were introduced into the rifle division. The widespread introduction of motor transport equipment into the troops led to the motorization of the rifle division.

Rifle units were armed with hand-held and mounted anti-tank grenade launchers, which ensured effective combat against tanks at ranges up to 300 m (RPG-1, RPG-2 and SG-82). In 1949, a set of new small arms was adopted, which included a Simonov self-loading carbine, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Degtyarev light machine gun, an RP-46 company machine gun, and a modernized Goryunov heavy machine gun.

Instead of tank armies, mechanized armies were created, which included 2 tank, 2 mechanized divisions and army units. The mechanized army completely retained the mobility of the former tank army with a significant increase in the number of tanks, self-propelled guns, field and anti-aircraft artillery in it. Tank and mechanized corps were transformed into tank and mechanized divisions, respectively. At the same time, the combat and maneuvering capabilities of armored vehicles have increased significantly. A light amphibious tank PT-76 was created, a medium tank T-54, heavy tanks IS-4 and T-10, which had stronger weapons and armor protection, were adopted.

In August 1949, an experimental explosion of the atomic bomb was carried out.

Rearmament of troops and naval forces. The main task was to create weapons that are quantitatively and qualitatively not inferior to the weapons of a potential enemy and provide a solution to the problem of protecting the Motherland. Machine guns, pistols, machine guns, light and heavy machine guns, designed for a unified 7.62 mm cartridge, were widely used. The number of weapons samples has been halved. In the postwar years, the combat and maneuvering capabilities of artillery increased significantly. New guns and howitzers, radar stations for detecting and serifing ground targets were put into service. Trouble-free anti-tank guns with an increased automation system appeared. Further development was received by jet weapons. Improved armored vehicles.

Signal troops received improved HF and VHF radio stations, new types of special radio receivers, mobile communication centers, and radio relay lines. In the post-war period, Soviet military aviation switched from piston aircraft to jet and turboprop aircraft.

By the beginning of the 50s, the design bureaus of A.I. Mikoyan, M.I. Gurevich, S.A. Lavochkina, A.S. Yakovleva, A.N. Tupolev, V.S. Ilyushin. created:

Since 1952, the Air Defense Forces of the country began to be equipped with anti-aircraft missile technology, the first units were created to serve them. Strengthened air defense aviation. In the early 1950s, the Air Defense Forces of the country received a new night all-weather fighter-interceptor Yak-25. All this significantly increased the ability to combat enemy air targets.

The military-technical equipment of the Navy is being strengthened. By 1953, 30% of the warships in the fleet were built after the war. These are new series of cruisers and destroyers, diesel and then nuclear submarines;

In 1953, the hydrogen bomb was tested.

By the beginning of 1954, the Armed Forces had nuclear weapons of various capacities, their means of delivery, experimental data on their damaging power, methods and means of protection.

In conditions technical revolution cavalry formations were not developed and were abolished in 1954.

In the period after the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Ministry of Defense was systematically entrusted with the task of providing civilian ministries with a workforce by forming military construction units for them, the personnel of which were used as construction workers. The number of these formations increased from year to year.

Since 1955, the leadership of the USSR has been calling for an end to the arms race and to convene a world conference on this issue. In confirmation of the new foreign policy course, the Soviet Union reduced the size of its Armed Forces from 5.8 million people at the beginning of 1955 to 3.6 million by December 1959, in 1955 - by 640 thousand people, by June 1956 - by 1,200 thousand Human.

Warsaw Pact (Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance) from May 14, 1955- a document that formalized the creation of a military alliance of European socialist states with the leading role of the USSR - the Warsaw Pact Organization (WTO) and fixed the bipolarity of the world for 36 years. The conclusion of the treaty was a response to the accession of Germany to NATO.

The agreement was signed by the NSRA, BNR, Hungary, GDR, Poland, SRR, USSR and Czechoslovakia May 14, 1955 at the Warsaw Conference of European States on Ensuring Peace and Security in Europe.